


New Memories

by Emme2589



Series: Just Call And I'll Be There [15]
Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Language, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Special BROvert Ops Ending | SBO (Henry Stickmin), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, finally a fic where nothing goes wrong, i know its not christmas anymore shut up, just fluff, the story equivalent of a moment to breathe, the threequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:20:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28714917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emme2589/pseuds/Emme2589
Summary: Direct sequel toJust Gotta Power Through ItandStaying Warm in the Bitter Cold.Charles decides not to go home for Christmas this year because he wants to spend it with Henry. Henry then proceeds to be a happy lil bean because his boyfriend is wonderful and nothing bad happens."Yet, even amidst the hatred and carnage, life is still worth living. It is possible for wonderful encounters and beautiful things to exist."-Hayao Miyazaki
Relationships: Charles Calvin/Henry Stickmin
Series: Just Call And I'll Be There [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011435
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48





	New Memories

Henry could feel his anxiety rising as he listened from the doorway.

"Huh? Oh yeah, about that...Mom, I...I'm not going home this year."

Henry could just barely hear the reply from Abigail Keller-Calvin, Charles' mom, _"What!? Why not!? You're always home for the holidays!"_

"I know, Mom. I know you were really looking forward to having me home again this year, but...Henry doesn't have a family to go home to." Charles sighed as he paced around the kitchen, "And we haven't been dating that long. I don't feel comfortable taking him home with me. I think he'd feel really out of place."

_"But Charlie! You're my son! This'll be our first Christmas without your father!"_

"I know, I know, it sucks that I have to cancel last minute, but...I just...really wanna spend this Christmas with Henry."

He was quiet, and no voices came over the receiver.

"Tell you what, Mom..." Charles leaned back against the counter, "Once January comes around, I'll come down and spend a whole week with you. I'll even bring gifts to make up for it. Does that sound fair?"

The voice came back a little more relieved, _"Alright. I know how much you care about Henry, sweetheart, so I understand. You'd better follow through with that promise, though!"_

"I swear to you! You have my word!" Charles beamed, jumping in place with renewed energy, "Thanks, Mom! You're the best!"

_"Of course, baby! Take care!"_

"You too!" Charles hung up and twirled in place before he noticed Henry at the doorway.

"Charles?" Henry headed over to him, "You're not going home for Christmas?"

"I mean, it's not a big deal. Plenty of people have to cancel sometimes." Charles pocketed his phone to free his hands for him, "And I don't want you to spend this Christmas alone. I want to show you everything that's great about it. I want to _give_ you _everything."_

Henry felt those words resonate as Charles looked up at him with a huge, loving smile.

"Charles..." Henry leaned into him, his hands resting on his shoulders, "I really love you, you know?"

"I know, Hen. I love you too."

So, that's how they found themselves here. Christmas Eve, 8:34 pm. Henry was wearing a coat over the ugly blue sweater Charles had gotten for him, covered in stars, snowflake patterns and reindeer, as the two of them walked hand-in-hand down Christmas Street, a long stretch of road built in the 1800s that was full of little shops and storefronts that were decorated for the season.

Right in the middle of the street was a giant Christmas tree, covered in twinkling lights that matched the lights on each storefront.

"Isn't it pretty?" Charles wrapped an arm around him, "Rupert and I used to save up our allowance for months just so we could buy more candy than we could eat in one night. We used to scope out the cute boys from our school. I thought I was a straight girl back then. It's why Rupert and I became friends, in fact. He was very open about being gay, and I was very open about not being feminine, so we bonded over people leaving us alone because we were different."

Henry smiled as Charles rambled. The excitement rolled off of him in waves, so happy to be sharing this moment with someone who could never have it before.

"Henry?" Charles nudged him, "What did you always do for Christmas?"

Henry smirked, "It was the best time of year, honestly. My good aunt came over, and she was very protective of me. She would have adopted me if that had been a possibility. In any case, she tried to protect me from my evil aunts, who demanded hugs from me even when it made me uncomfortable, and got offended when I didn't say 'I love you' out loud. Other than that though, it was wonderful. It was a religious celebration, but my parents had more food to give me during that time, and I got nice things from my family. I got to see my cousin, too. We used to share secrets in my room above bits of hard candies. I miss her."

"Oh. Is she...okay?"

Henry shrugged, his gaze turned up towards the golden star on the top of the massive tree in the square, "I don't know. A long time ago, she told me she was running away, and I haven't seen her since."

"Oh." Charles gave Henry's hand a squeeze, "Well, nevermind that. You know where we're going?"

Henry's smile turned lopsided, "Shopping?"

"Yep! Let's go!"

Once the two of them stepped into the antique shop and out of the chill, Henry blinked as he began to rub his eyes.

"Ah!" Henry's eyes watered as he took a shaking breath of air.

"Huh? Henry?" Charles shook him, "Are you okay?"

"Oh dear!" the middle-aged shopkeeper ran over with a medical mask in her hand, "Sweetheart, are you allergic to cats?"

"Where?" Henry's eyes were red, the veins popping in irritation, but he looked all around the floor in almost nervous excitement, "Where's the cat?"

"Mrow?"

Sure enough, a big grey tabby came happily trotting up to Henry to rub against his legs.

Henry violently sneezed into his sleeve as he knelt down to pet the cat, "Baby! Oh my gosh, you're such a gorgeous cat, aren't you!?"

His lungs were clearly wheezing, tears streaming down his face, but the cat nuzzled lovingly into him, sniffing his hands as he scratched the cat under her chin.

"Sir, please wear this." the shopkeeper handed him the mask, "I'm so sorry about her. I couldn't find a sitter in time."

Henry put the mask on over his mouth and nose before returning to the cat, "What's her name?"

"Her name is Pudding."

"Pudding! You're so cute, huh? Yes you are!"

Charles knelt down to be at eye-level with his boyfriend, "Henry? Are you allergic to cats?"

Henry blinked rapidly, but his vision didn't clear, "Um, yeah, but look at her! Isn't she gorgeous!?"

Charles didn't answer. If he was being honest, he was more of a dog person. To him, cats were too aloof, and he'd been scratched by a cat more than once, so he didn't really find them too pleasant most of the time.

However...as Charles gazed at Henry lovingly petting the cat, bumping her head into his arms as she purred...he could feel his heart melting at the sight.

"You love cats so much that you give them love even though you're clearly struggling to breathe?"

"It's a fair trade." Henry sniffed, then he coughed. He sounded like his nose was stuffed, "Cats are such a huge boost of serotonin. A little histamine never hurt anyone."

"Henry, people die from allergic reactions."

"Worth it."

"Henry!"

"Well, aren't you two a delight."

Henry finally looked up at the shopkeeper, though he was technically blind from his eyes watering so much.

"I love your cat."

She laughed loudly, "Yes, dear, I can see that. She's very friendly, isn't she?"

Henry scratched underneath Pudding's ears, "It's been a long time since I've seen a cat, and what a cutie you are!"

The pure joy emanating from him was contagious. Charles reached out with one hand to pet the cat, and she in turn leaned into his hand too, purring loudly like a little engine.

"Aww!" Charles scratched Pudding's face with both hands, and she was so soft! "How cute!"

Pudding put her paws up on his knees, "Meow!"

"Look, Charles! She likes you!"

Henry's smile was blinding, even through the mask. Charles found himself staring as Pudding switched back to Henry, rubbing her face into his side.

"Aw! Precious baby girl!" Henry cooed, "That's you, sweetie! Yeah, that's you!!!"

While Henry was preoccupied with the cat, Charles stood up and slowly crept away to search for gifts. He gestured further into the store with his head, and the shopkeeper nodded as he began to search.

By the time Henry looked up, Charles had a paper bag in his hand, stuffed with colorful tissue paper. Henry tried to look inside it, but Charles held it out of his reach.

"Ah ah!" Charles took his shoulder to push him back, "Not until Christmas."

Henry sighed, annoyed, but complied with his wishes, "Wait here, and I'll find you something."

As Henry walked away, the cat Pudding rubbed against Charles' legs, meowing incessantly as if to say, _"How dare you not give attention to me, human???"_

The shopkeeper picked her up, "I'm so sorry. She just loves meeting new people."

"Hey, it's no trouble."

Henry tore the mask off as soon as they were outside, "Ack! Whew. What a nice cat."

Charles quickly steered them into the candy shop so they wouldn't have to be in the cold while Henry recovered, his lungs audibly wheezing, "Yeesh, Henry. What is with you? You're clearly deathly allergic to cats, so why do you do this to yourself?"

"Because _cats!"_ Henry's crusty red eyes had stars in them, "I _love_ cats! I don't care about a little itchiness or trouble breathing, cats are cute! And sweet! And so good??? And I'm in _love???"_

"Okay, Henry, I get it." Charles held his shoulders as he jumped in place, "Calm down and breathe, okay?"

Henry took a few harsh breaths, coughing to dispel the allergens he'd inhaled while in the antique shop, "I've always wanted to have my own cat, but my mom always said no because of how allergic I am."

"Wow. Something your parents did that I actually agree with."

"I don't mind! There are hypoallergenic cats! I can handle a little anaphylaxis!"

"You are the biggest dumbass I've ever known."

Henry laughed as he brought Charles into the candy shop, "I know. Are you gonna buy me candy, or what?"

Charles sighed. Well, Henry was enthusiastic, that much was true.

***

Charles woke up to the feeling of arms around him. He blearily blinked as the sun shone through the windows, and he let out a breath as he remembered the previous night. He was lying in an extra large sleeping bag on the floor of the living room, the Christmas tree sparkling in the light, and Henry snuggled up to him as he slowly came to consciousness.

Charles turned in the sleeping bag to watch Henry's eyes open, and he leaned forward to kiss Charles' lips.

Charles smiled wide as he brushed his thumb over Henry's cheek, "Merry Christmas."

Henry took his wrist before the words sank in, and his eyes sparkled.

"It's Christmas."

Charles laughed tiredly as Henry scrambled to unzip the sleeping bag.

"It's Christmas! Charles, it's Christmas!'

"I know, Henry, I know." Charles sat up, rubbing his eyes as he yawned.

"Get up! Get up!" Henry tugged on his nightshirt, "We can open presents now! _Up!"_

"Okay! I'm up!" Charles stood from the sleeping bag, stretching his arms high into the air and popping his shoulder in the process. The sugar crash from last night was making his eyelids droop, but if there was one thing he loved about Henry, it was, well, a lot of things, but more specifically, he had a childlike enthusiasm for things, especially things he couldn't have growing up.

"Whoa." Henry gestured to the pile, "Charles, are there more presents here than there were last night?"

Charles sleepily chuckled as he unplugged his headset from its charging dock, "Well, you see, my mom told a bunch of my family members that I was staying here for the holidays instead of going home like I always do, and she mentioned it was because you don't have a family to go home to. They decided that they wouldn't stand for that, so a bunch of them shipped extra things to my PO box on base. I managed to get them all wrapped and put under the tree after you fell asleep."

Henry picked up a huge box with his name on it, "'From Aunt Linda'...?"

"Oh, you'll like that one." Charles sat on the couch, "You wanna open presents? We can start right now!"

Henry nodded as he plopped right down onto the ground to tear the wrapping away. Inside the box were two winter coats, each with matching gloves, hats, scarves, and socks. Henry marvelled at them before reading the attached card.

 _"'Hey, kiddo. Didn't know which you would like more, so I just got both. Hope you stay warm this Christmas. Love, Aunt Linda.'"_ Henry held the blue trench coat up to his cheek. It was made of wool, with a fleece inner lining so it wasn't so scratchy, "Gosh, that's so nice! I've never even met her!"

"Maybe you will, one day." Charles reached for a smaller box, "I'm opening the one from my mom first. If I know her, then she'll have gotten me..."

His face broke out in a huge smile as he tore the wrapping off.

"Yes! I knew it!" Charles opened the lid and procured a round chocolate from inside, "Mom, bless your predictability!"

Henry jumped to see if Charles' mom had gotten him anything, and sure enough, there was a box the same shape and size addressed to him.

"I'm surprised she was able to order these to my address on base." Charles set the box aside, "Sure, when I was younger, I thought this brand only existed in Montana, but here in New York? I'm honestly shocked."

Henry popped a chocolate into his mouth. It had a hard shell on the outside with a smooth creamy inside that just melted in his mouth.

Next, Charles reached for the present from his Aunt Edna, and Henry opened his at the same time. She'd gotten both of them knitted ugly Christmas sweaters, with lots of patterns and clashing colors, as an ugly Christmas sweater should be. As their piles of stuff climbed higher, Henry found himself increasingly curious about what Charles had gotten him, still stuffed in its paper gift bag. He looked up at Charles, who nodded his approval, and Henry took the tissue paper out to see what was inside.

He pulled it out. It was a resin keychain in the shape of a cat, stretching its paws out with its tail in the air. It shone brightly in the light of the sun, the stripes on the cat standing out against the metal frame. It looked hand made.

Henry's eyes grew big and watery, "Charles, I love it! It's so cute! Thank you!"

"You're welcome!" Charles reached for Henry's gift, "Now what did you get me...?"

"Open it and see!"

It looked like they had the same idea, because inside Charles' gift was an embroidered patch of a helicopter, emblazoned with the words, "I'm the Helicopter Guy".

Henry watched Charles' face scrunch up in a smile, "Hilariously specific, isn't it?"

"No kidding." Charles pulled a safety pin out of his pocket to pin the patch to the front of his pajama shirt, "Hm?"

Something else under the tree caught his eye, and he climbed down to inspect it.

"What?"

"That's funny." Charles retrieved two more presents, "I don't remember wrapping these at all."

Henry took the box with his name on it, "Wait, I know this handwriting."

"Me too." Charles' eyes widened, "No! Henry, read who it's from!"

He did. The handwriting was swirly, endearingly old-fashioned, but the name was unmistakable.

The two of them made eye contact before tearing open their presents at the same time. Henry got into his first, and lovingly nestled in a shoe box were a pair of silk ballet shoes. Charles tore his open in the next second, and he had received a worn football jacket from the class of 1980; The year his father had graduated high school, and five years before Charles was born.

Charles' tears hit the jacket before Henry found the card that came with both gifts;

_Dearest Charles and Henry,_

_It's been a long time since I've been able to deliver to the both of you, and I've seen your progress as you've fallen into hard times and found each other despite it all. You both were wonderful children and even more incredible adults. There is definitely magic involved when the two of you work together._

_Anywho, to Henry, please let me know if the shoes don't fit. They should, but if they don't, write on the back of this letter and leave it under the tree tonight, along with the shoes. And, to Charles, your father always wanted you to have this, but felt he couldn't until you knew the truth about him. Now that it's too late for him to tell the story himself, I've decided to just give it to you now. Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough._

_Well, I've been rambling like an old man long enough. Enjoy your gifts, and merry Christmas!_

_With love,_

_Saint Nicholas Claus_

By the time Charles looked up, Henry had laced up the ribbons on the shoes, meticulously weaving back and forth across his calves until he tied them up into bows. He stood up on them so his pajama pants fell back over his calves, bracing against the wall as he went into the fifth position and slowly rose until he was on pointe.

He trembled, forcing both feet to fall flat on the floor, "They fit perfectly."

"You..." Charles stood up, the old jacket under one arm, "...wanted ballet shoes?"

Henry nodded, "I've always wanted a pair like this, but every time I got dance shoes for Christmas, my mom just threw them out, or sold them and kept the money for herself." he rose onto his toes again, "Look at that! They feel pretty sturdy, too!"

Charles looked up at him with a smile. Henry was already six feet tall, so with this added height, he towered over Charles' own 5'10" frame.

Henry came back down as he pointed at the jacket, "What's that?"

"Oh, this is my dad's old football jacket from high school. He graduated in the summer of nineteen eighty, so that's why the number is here. He used to wear it all the time, and now it's mine!"

Charles felt tears in his eyes again as he held the jacket to his face and breathed in the scent. He was delighted to find no cigarette smell on it, but it did smell like mothballs and campfire. He remembered how awful he felt when he realized how masked his father's natural scent was by the cigarette smoke, so the smell of this jacket was like a window back through time. Back when things were easier.

Charles tried the jacket on over his pajamas. It fit like a glove.

"It suits you." Henry zipped it up for him, "Hmm...zipped or unzipped?"

"How about..." Charles unzipped it halfway, stuffing both hands in his pockets, "Yeah. This is cool. It's a little worn, though. I might just keep it in my closet."

"It seems like something your dad would wear, anyway." Henry looked confused before giving the jacket sleeve a sniff, "Hmph. It doesn't smell like you."

"It doesn't, huh?" Charles took a step back to brush down the dust, "Maybe that's because it smells like my dad. Or, the way my dad smelled when he wasn't smoking." he got a sad look over his face as he took the jacket off, "I don't feel right wearing it. I'm gonna put it away."

They spent the rest of the day admiring their gifts, many of which worked as decoration. They placed objects and strung lights and hung signs, making steaming mugs of hot cocoa and bundling up in blankets.

Henry sipped at the melting whipped cream, "Okay, but are we going to gloss over the fact that Santa is real!?"

"I know, right!? All my friends told me he was made up! And my parents never confirmed nor denied his existence!"

"It always confused me how those particular gifts kept getting to me if my mom didn't want me to have them!" Henry wrapped an arm around Charles, "I bet it's a conspiracy! Santa doesn't want people to believe in him! He wants them to believe in the Christmas spirit, and he only reveals himself to people who already have it! Even this isn't conclusive proof! You know this letter wouldn't hold up in a court of law!"

Charles took a sip so a ring of chocolate stuck to his upper lip, "Maybe you're right. Maybe it's by design."

Henry quickly leaned forward to lick the chocolate from his lip, and Charles' brain short-circuited as his train of thought was violently ripped away.

Hardly anyone else was on base, as most people had gone home to their families, but there were some soldiers who had their own Christmases in the dorms, whether because they had nothing to go home to, or because they wanted to spend time with someone else. As such, the base was basically empty. Nobody else in sight. At this hour, they must be inside.

That was their thought as they crunched through the thick blanket of snow. Snowflakes drifted softly around them as they walked hand in hand. Henry pulled his scarf back as he watched the snow fall, and he stuck his tongue out to catch one of them in his mouth.

Henry loved nights like this. He didn't used to. He used to see winter as a threat, a worse chance of starvation with the added threat of freezing to death. He had many sleepless nights where he did nothing but shiver because there weren't enough blankets to go around, but now he was all bundled up, and he could feel the way Charles squeezed his hand through their gloves, which kept him warm in a different way.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Charles smiled, his breath fogging up in the air between them, "My dad an' I used to watch these snow falls from the porch. I remember when I was so small he could easily pick me up and carry me on his shoulders, and he would hold me in his lap as I reached out to catch them. He bundled me up until only my eyes were visible, and we'd lay out in the snow until it gathered around and on top of us until we were too cold."

Charles blinked as a tear crystalized on his face, and he quickly wiped it away.

"Charles..." Henry brought him in to his side, "I really am so sorry about your dad..."

 _"I know you are."_ Charles sniffed, _"And it still hurts, Hen. It hurts knowing I'll never see him again."_

"It's okay to still hurt." Henry brought them back towards the building, "Hey, let's watch the snowfall from our room. It's warm there."

"Haha! Sure. Okay."

Henry paused at the streetlamp just outside the door, "Hey, feel free to lean on me as many times as you need, okay? I'm always happy to help you get through this."

"I know. I really appreciate it." Charles happened to glance up at the storm again, "Oh. Henry, look."

He did. Right above their heads, a tiny sprig of mistletoe was tied to the streetlamp.

Henry's face turned bright red, "Oh."

"Heh. Um, we can wait until we're inside, if you want."

"No no, this is perfect." Henry giggled as he tried to hide his smile beneath his scarf, "Ugh, I'm such an idiot. Okay, hold on. This is really exciting. I've never had a Christmas kiss before."

"Me neither." Charles confessed, "Whenever you're ready."

Henry took a deep breath before pushing the scarf from his face and taking Charles' cheek in one hand, "Okay, ready?"

"Yeah."

Somehow, they immediately bumped their noses together, and Charles turned away, "Okay okay wait wait wait, that was bad."

"Ah, Jesus." Henry blushed harder, "Come on! We've kissed before! We've kissed like a million times!"

Charles nearly slipped on the ice, and Henry had to quickly catch him, "AHH! Oh, oh jeez, I'm sorry!"

"How are we this bad!?"

"Hold on hold on hold on hold on!"

"Don't think too hard about it, okay?"

"Right! Sorry!"

Henry was about to chicken out, but instead he took Charles' head again, "Okay, for real this time. Ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay..." Henry closed his eyes, "Three, two-!"

Their lips met in the middle, and Charles pulled him in closer so they were pressed right into each other. Henry hummed, tilting his head a bit more, and Charles' hands wrapped around his waist. He could taste the chill on Charles' face from the freezing cold that surrounded them on all sides, but as their hearts beat in unison, they hardly felt it.

Henry broke off first, a breath leaving his lungs in a huff and creating a cloud of fog. He chuckled softly.

"You're a better kisser when you're warm."

Charles playfully hit him with the back of his hand, "So are you, knucklehead. Anyway, you coming inside or what?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming."

They ended their day by lying in bed with their heads away from the window and their feet against the headboard so they could watch the storm while leaning on a pile of pillows. Charles had an arm around Henry as they snuggled in total darkness aside from the streetlamp outside the window. It really was a magical sight.

As Henry drifted off, Charles hummed some old timey Christmas tune, just cheesy enough to be cute without being annoying, and Henry smiled against his chest as he listened to the way it rumbled with his voice.

_"Love you, Charles."_

"Love you too, sleepyhead."

He wasn't ready to go to sleep yet. It was too perfect. Finally, a whole day that had no disasters. No training. No loud noises, no panic attacks, no breakdowns, no reopening of old childhood wounds...just him and Charles existing together for one whole day.

"This day was absolutely perfect." Henry said, "It's like I drank Felix Felicis. Nothing went wrong whatsoever."

"Felix Felicis?"

Henry looked up at him, "You know, Liquid Luck? The luck potion from Harry Potter?"

"Uh...I don't think I ever read that one."

Henry sat up at that, "You've never read Harry Potter?"

"Why _would_ I have?"

"I don't know. I guess you're right." Henry lay back down, "But dude, come on. You have like a million books at home, don't you?"

"Doesn't mean I've read all of them."

"Unbelievable."

Charles would have argued further, but he was tired and just wanted to rest, so he let it drop, his gaze going back to the window.

Henry tangled their legs together underneath the covers, seeking Charles' warmth as he basically lay on top of him, "I love you so much, you know that?"

"I love you too, Hen."

Henry stayed awake as long as he could before his eyes began to close against his will.

"I miss that cat."

"I know you do, Hen."

As he slumped against his muscular partner, Charles lay him on his side so they faced each other on the bed, and he heard one last thing that made his heart flutter before he was gone to the world.

He heard a soft whisper against the top of his head;

_"Sleep well, Love."_

***

**Author's Note:**

> I hope everyone reading this had a wonderful, if not at least tolerable holiday season! Have more fluff.
> 
> Come say hi to me on tumblr! marshemillow.tumblr.com


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